Does anyone have any information about the abandoned steam locomotives that were or are located near the old ship docks in Tampa, Florida? I remember seeing these engines (small switcher types) about 20 years ago on a family vacation to the Tampa area and since then I have always wondered what happened to them. Does anyone know if they were scrapped, preserved, relocated, etc.? Also, does anyone know the history of these engines? I believe the location may have been somewhere along Adamo Drive underneath the Crosstown Expressway.

I have a trip planned to Tampa soon and if the engines are still in the area, I would like to take a look at them.

Thanks,
Stephen

stephenflynt@hotmail.com

I have no idea whether this has anything to do with the locos you saw, but in the early 1980s there was a small steam locomotive collection in Tampa owned by a Robert Most. This collection included a 1929 2T Heisler, BEDT 0-6-0ST #12 (ex-Ron Ziel, Porter); a 1905 three truck Shay (the elusive W.M. Ritter Shay that was at the Dry Gulch Junction tourist RR in Wyethville, Va. in the 1970s); and ACL 0-6-0 143 (briefly leased by Most in the 1970s). J. David's book has them listed as "stored at 1805 Knox Road".

143 is/was preserved in the area (I think) and I have no current updates on the rest.

However, it's bloody hard to imagine a Heisler and Shay being mistaken for "small switchers". Are these the engines you had in mind? And who has the whereabouts and/or fate(s) of these, if not?

lner4472@bcpl.net

The ACL 143 was donated to the Fla Gulf Coast RR Museum by Mrs. W. O. Savage after her husband passed away. That loco had been bought from ACL by Agrico phosphate company in the 1940's and used on their line in Polk County, FL. They put it on display about 1960 and then donated it to the Tampa Bay chapter, NRHS around 1973. The chapter leased it to the now defunct Orange Belt RR and it was moved to Trilby, FL. When the OB folded it was sold to Mr. Savage and he moved it to Tampa. The FGCRRM was forced to sell it when they couldn't afford to move it (by truck) to their location in Parrish. They sold it for $ 1.00 to another non-profit group in Ft. Myers where it has been cosmetically restored and is now on display.

BEDT number 12 was sold to a doctor in Tampa who later donated it to the Florida Gulf Coast RR Museum. The museum later moved it to Parrish where it is now on display. In fact, it was painted just last Saturday. It was last steamed around 1985 by the doctor and appears to be in very good condition. The museum hopes to have it professionally inspected and if it qualifies, embark on an effort to return it to steam.
Meanwhile, it's on display in Parrish, just off of US 301 next to the post office.

As for the Shay and Heisler, I have no idea where they went but they have not been in Tampa since the mid-1980's.
-Jim Herron

hrvideo@mindspring.com

> As for the Shay and Heisler, I have no idea
> where they went but they have not been in
> Tampa since the mid-1980's.

The ex-Elk River Coal & Lumber / W.M. Ritter / Georgia Pacific 3-truck Shay 19 is now on display in Veterans Park in Harrod, OH (not far from her Lima birthplace).

I am told that the Heisler that was listed on the March '02 D.F. Barnhart auction (along with 614) is machine in question. This 42-ton 2-truck Heisler had went to Rossville, GA and then on to Andalusia, AL, where it was listed for sale. Anyone know what happened with the Heisler in the auction?

Regards,
Jim Robinson

Anyone know
> what happened with the Heisler in the
> auction?

> Regards,
> Jim Robinson

Jim,

As best as I can tell, she was sold to a "man invovled in solid waste" near Thurmond, Md. I was told she was headed to a "tourist line" near Cass, but nobody involved with Cass knows of this and the engine is truly too small to operate on Cass' grades and carry much load. Could this engine be headed to a rebirth of the old West Virginia Northern?

Jim

Wrinnbo@aol.com

Given the timeframe you mention, these could be the locomotives I am referring to. I was less than 10 years old at the time I saw these engines, and it was over 20 years ago, so my recollection of the engines is pretty fuzzy. When I am in Tampa this weekend I plan to take a drive around the industrial areas near the docks, and if any trace of these engines is still there, I'll post a report of what I find.

Thanks for the response.

stephenflynt@hotmail.com

Drive as you wish but I'll bet you won't even recognize the location. That part of Tampa has undergone tremendous revitialization over the past several years. It's near the new cruise ship terminal, hockey arena, aquarium, and convention center. What you will find is the new streetcar line under construction. It's supposed to open in October.

If you'd like to see BEDT 12, come to the Fla Gulf Coast RR Museum on US 301 in Parrish, about 40 miles south of Tampa, (Take exit 45 from I-75 to 301 and turn right.) It's on exhibit there and we'll be running rrains on Sat & Sunday (with either our GP7 or RS3).
Trains run at 11 and 1 on Sat and 1 and 3 on Sunday. Looks like I'll be the engineer on Sunday.
-Jim Herron

hrvideo@mindspring.com

Does anyone know or remember what area of town these locomotives were stored at? I checked out an aerial photo of the address mentioned by Alexander D. Mitchell IV in his post (1805 Knox Road). This address doesn't seem to be in the area I remember. Of course, it could be the address of the (former) owner of the locomotives, not the site where they were actually stored.

Thanks again!

stephenflynt@hotmail.com